A Few Good Email Discussion List Tools December 2008 Many organizations would like to foster community and information sharing using email discussion lists. What software packages can help? We asked six nonprofit experts about the systems that have worked for them. Read more >
	Selecting Software on a Shoestring by Laura S. Quinn, December 2008 If you need an inexpensive software tool that’s not particularly strategic for your organization, traditional software selection techniques can seem awfully complicated. Here’s a simplified six-step process that can help when you just need to make a simple choice quickly. Read more >

A Few Good Association Management Systems
by Eric Leland, December 2008
An association management system can be a huge help in tracking your members, newsletter subscriptions, special gifts, invitations to events and workshops, discounts on products and services and more. We asked five different nonprofit experts about the systems that have worked for them. Read more >

A Few Good Donor Management Tools
by Eric Leland, November 2008
The right donor management software can make a big difference in your ability to raise funds. We asked six different nonprofit technology experts about the donor management software that has worked well for their nonprofit colleagues. Read more >

Open Source vs. Vendor-Provided Software: Comparing Them Side by Side
by Jeff Walpole, November 2008
The use of open source software applications as a viable alternative to vendor provided commercial software has seen tremendous growth in recent years, especially among non-profits. In this article, Jeff Walpole explores the pros and cons of each alternative, and explains the differences between vendor provided and open source software. Read more >

The Truth About Hosted Software Packages
November 2008
Should you consider hosted or Software As a Service software applications for your nonprofit? There are a lot of conflicting and often inaccurate messages out there: They're not secure! Use them – they'll replace your IT staff! Perhaps they'll change your life… or perhaps they're evil. What's the truth? We investigate. Read more >

A Few Good Broadcast Email Tools
November 2008
One of our most popular articles, now fully updated! Email newsletters, action alerts, or fundraising emails can be a very cost effective way to communicate with your supporters, but it can be complex to send and track thousands of emails. We talked to eleven nonprofit technology experts to find out what eNewsletter tools have worked well for them. Read more >

A Few Good Online Survey Tools
October 2008
Online surveys can be a huge help in understanding what your constituents think and how successful your programs are - without breaking your budget. We spoke to a number of nonprofit staff members to understand how the existing online survey tools compare. Read more >

The Basics of Email Metrics: Are Your Campaigns Working?
October 2008
Email metrics can help you determine the effectiveness of email communications - like your eNewsletter or email appeals - and fine tune them to improve their efficiency. In this article, we talk through the data points and the calculations that can be useful, and how to use them to improve results. Read more >

Better Organization through Document Management Systems
By Peter Campbell, June 2008
Is your organization drowning in a virtual sea of documents? Document management systems can provide invaluable document searching, versioning, comparison, and collaboration features. Peter Campbell explains. Read more>

A Consumers Guide to Grants Management Systems

June 2008

This detailed 89-page report summarizes the common features and eighteen different systems used by grantmakers to track outgoing funds. We also provide detailed reviews of nine of the most widely used packages, with prices and a comparison chart. Register and download the free report on our partner Solpath's site>

A Few Good Accounting Packages

February 2008

No matter its size or its budget, any nonprofit can benefit from the right accounting software. Find out what our experts have to say about QuickBooks, Peachtree, Fundware, The Financial Edge, Mas90, GreatPlains, and others.  Read more>

Should Your Organization Use Social Networking Sites?

By Brett Bonfield, January 2008

Are social networking sites like MySpace or FaceBook likely to be a good fit for your nonprofit's goals? Brett Bonfield outlines some guidelines to help you decide if social neworking is right for you. Read more >

Comparing Lower-Cost Online Integrated Applications

By Eric Leland, December 2007

Online integrated applications allow nonprofits to manage a number of different aspects of their constituent information and Web presence all together in one package. Eric Leland took a close look at eight of the more affordable packages to compare their functionality in a variety of areas. Read more >

A Few Good Event Registration Tools

September 2007

These days, most event participants expect to be able to register online for events. Luckily, there are lots of tools that can help with that, from simple to sophisticated to multi-functional. We asked 11 nonprofit technology professionals what online registration tools have worked for them. Read more >

A Few Good Low-Cost Constituent Databases

March 2007

Looking for an inexpensive way to track your volunteers, donors, partners, and other constituents? We’ve fully updated this popular article, which recommends a set of free and low cost databases that have worked for those in the field. We’ve added new tools, tips, and thoughts to help you find something that works for your organization.   Read more >

A Few Good RSVP Tools: Online Registration Options for Free Events

December 2006

When you’re planning a free event, it’s hard to justify paying a lot of money for online registration software – but email or Evite can be frustrating. Happily, other choices exist. We talked to seven nonprofit technology experts about useful and affordable (or free!) options for collecting RSVPs for free events.  Read more >

Choosing Bulk Email Software to Match Your Communication Goals

by Heather Gardner-Madras, October 2006

Are you hoping to send a monthly eNewsletter to your constituents? Or would action alerts or donation requests align better with your goals? We’ll help you think through the features you’ll need in a bulk emailing tool to support the type of emails you plan to send.  Read more >

Creating the Relationship-Centric Organization: Nonprofit CRM

By Paul Hagen, May 2006

Are you storing data about your constituents in three, five, even ten different databases? If so, you’re not alone – but it’s costing you in time, lost revenue and decreased impact. Paul Hagen describes how to get all your data into one place with an integrated CRM strategy.  Read more>

Donate Now:  Selecting an Online Donation Tool

November 2005

Idealware reviewed twenty-seven lower-priced online software tools that accept donations from an existing website. What we found was good news: many affordable tools are also powerful, friendly, and flexible. We offer recommendations for high-quality tools, as well as a method to choose the right tool for you.  View the report (free registration required) >

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Software Tip of the Month

Looking for Idealware tips to include in your own eNewsletter to a network of nonprofits? Check out our Software Tip of the Month>